This year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. Eighty years ago, this unprecedented triumph erased national humiliation and restored dignity. In Lingnan, the East River Column's guerrilla operations, the 19th Route Army's defense of Shanghai, and the bloody battles in northern Guangdong formed a heroic chapter. Overseas Chinese support, cultural rescue missions, and the steadfast defense of guerrilla bases embodied the enduring Lingnan spirit.
Eighty years on, the former battlefield has been filled with tall buildings and a flurishing scene of prosperity. Yet the land still remembers the cries and sacrifices of that time: perhaps an unsent letter, a bullet shell, a blurred but resolute face, or stories passed down from generation to generation.
Starting today, IP Guangdong launches the "Lingnan in Flames of War" campaign, inviting photos, videos, and design works from the public. We hope you will open family albums and memories, bringing faded images back to life. Through pictures, words, and films, let the heroic stories of "Lingnan in Flames of War" be retold, preserving Guangdong's living memory of resistance, honoring the fallen, and illuminating the future.
Collection category 1: archival documents
Wartime records: operational orders, military maps, telegrams, diaries, letters (such as family or love letters), manuscripts, and memoirs.
Official papers and certificates: government notices, travel passes, police certificates, diplomas, appointment letters, and commendation awards.
Publications: newspapers at that time (e.g., "The Salvation Daily"), magazines, books, brochures, slogans, and flyers.
We welcome submissions through photography, video, or visual design that record or recreate these materials.
Collection category 2: physical objects
Military items: uniforms, caps, badges, armbands, weapons (knives, firearms, etc.), ammunition, canteens, binoculars, and medical supplies (such as medicine kits and tourniquets).
Everyday items: ration tickets (grain coupons, oil coupons, etc.), currencies (legal tenders, military notes, etc.), clothing, furniture, sewing machines, suitcases, and overseas remittance receipts.
Commemorative items: medals, awards, commemorative badges, banners, signed flags, and gifts of condolence.
We welcome submissions through photography, video, or visual design that record or recreate these materials.
Collection category 3: wartime sites and memorial landmarks
Wartime sites, memorial halls, monuments, sculptures, and historic buildings in the Lingnan region, as well as war-related streets and urban constructions (then-and-now comparisons), together with the aspects of daily life around them.
We welcome submissions through photography, video, or visual design that record or recreate these materials.
Collection category 4: oral histories
Firsthand accounts: precious oral stories from wartime veterans, logistics and medical staff, teachers and students, ordinary citizens, overseas Chinese workers, and their descendants.
Family legacy stories: generational stories about family members who joined the war, supported the frontlines, or endured wartime displacement.
We welcome submissions recorded or recreated through writing, photography, or video.
Collection category 5: then and now
Based on historical photos and archival images related to the war against Japanese aggression in Lingnan, create artistic reinterpretations or recreate historical scenes using modern design and new media to bring history to life.
Photograph how Lingnan preserves wartime memory today, such as memorial activities, youth education, themed exhibitions, or cultural and creative designs.
We welcome submissions in the form of images, videos, posters, illustrations, comics, and more.
Selection criteria
This campaign mainly welcomes photos, videos, and design works. Submissions should meet the following requirements:
1. Works must be original, positive in tone, and reflect the theme of "Lingnan in Flames of War".
2. Each submission should include a short description within 100 words.
3. Images/designs: jpg, jpeg, png, bmp, etc.; videos: mp4, mov, mkv, avi, etc.; size ≤ 8 GB each; resolution ≥ 1920×1080 (for images/video), ≥ 1280×720 (for designs).
Event period
From now until December 31, 2025
How to participate
Option 1: Visit www.ipguangdong.cn, register an account, and upload your work. When uploading, select 【参与活动】("Join Activity")–【烽火岭南】("Lingnan in Flames of War"). Alternatively, go directly to the event page and upload your work there; submissions will be automatically included in the campaign.
Option 2: Log in to the South app, tap "Visual" at the bottom to enter the IP GUANGDONG channel, then navigate to the event's dedicated page, and click "Upload". After registering as an IP GUANGDONG user, you may submit your work.
Evaluation rules
1. Each month, the organizers will review submissions based on overall quality (including but not limited to insight, value orientation, and creativity), communication impact, and social influence. Outstanding contributors will have the chance to receive limited-edition cultural and creative prizes.
2. Outstanding works may be featured and promoted on IP GUANGDONG's website, WeChat Official Account, video channel, and overseas social media accounts, as well as on "广东发布" ("Guangdong Release") WeChat Official Account, video channel, and Weibo, along with South and other major provincial media platforms.
3. Outstanding contributors will be given priority to participate in exhibitions organized by the Publicity Department of the CPC Guangdong Provincial Committee, Guangdong Information Office, other official institutions in Guangdong, as well as South and IP GUANGDONG, where they can showcase their works.
Participation notes
1. You are welcome to publish and promote your work on multiple platforms. If a work has already been posted elsewhere and achieved strong reach, please put notes on this when uploading to IP GUANGDONG; the organizer may see those metrics during evaluation.
2. Submissions must be original, created independently, and must not violate laws and rules or infringe on any third party's intellectual property rights or other legitimate rights, including rights of portrait, reputation, privacy, and name rights. Any disputes or claims arising therefrom are the sole responsibility of the participant and not the organizer.
3. Do not add watermarks. Keep all original materials. If a copyright or other IP dispute arises and you cannot provide originals to substantiate ownership, IP GUANGDONG and related platforms may remove the work.
4. By uploading submissions, participants acknowledge and agree that the organizer may use the works, or authorize third parties (including but not limited to TV, mobile/online TV, websites, and other media) for non-commercial purposes such as publication, exhibition (online/offline), and online promotion without additional payment.
5. Works used for publicity or display during the campaign do not indicate final selection.
6. Participants shall carefully read this notice before submitting. Submission of a work will be deemed as full acknowledgment and acceptance of all the terms.
7. Within the limits of the law, the organizer reserves the final right of interpretation of this campaign.
